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Reasons NOT to buy the Prius C?

Discussion in 'Prius c Main Forum' started by Nel, May 20, 2013.

  1. Nel

    Nel Member

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    I am a former owner of the Prius liftback. That was a lease, and I no longer have it. Needless to say, I long for a car with such great mileage! I am currently considering a Prius C Three (gotta have the Smartkey and maybe even a moon/sunroof).

    I also want to look at both sides of the picture before making the purchase. I know most of the great things about the C already, but I want to know some reasons NOT to buy the C (if any). I want to know the most trivial things you can think of as an everyday driver/owner. For example, my old 2010 Prius liftback's armrest/storage was ALWAYS open to access the secondary cupholder, thus the back seat had hampered leg room. Let me know anything a new owner should know!

    Thanks guys, and I'm looking to possibly make the purchase within the next week :)
     
  2. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    Back seats are not really for adults. No camera. No CARB warranty in CARB states. Less insulation.
     
  3. Species5618w

    Species5618w Member

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    It's a Yaris, nothing more. To me, a Yaris is enough. However, many people buy Camry over Yaris since it suits them better.
     
  4. css28

    css28 Senior Member

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    If you do a lot high speed driving or mountain passes its mileage will probably be worse than for a hatchback.
     
  5. Hyper_PriusC

    Hyper_PriusC Member

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    ^^ totally agreed. Long distance driving isn't very gas saving especially with lots of up hills. i can only rack up 50+ mpg if i can cruise with the EV mode for the majority of the time while driving in the city

    The great milage is more likely to happen if you are strict with pulse and glide or often drive very light pedaled.

    if you can withstand the slowness of the car, I think everything else is great. love the hatch back and tiny turn radius.
     
    DU3L NRG likes this.
  6. DU3L NRG

    DU3L NRG Junior Member

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    Too small, no sunroof option available. Less mpg on highway than standard prius. Less power than standard prius. Hope this helps!!
     
  7. ftl

    ftl Explicator

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    Sunroof is an option on the Prius c Three and Four.
     
  8. maddog61

    maddog61 Junior Member

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    I travel between Revelstoke and Golden, BC...thru Rogers Pass...... 182 miles round trip and right now I am averaging 4L/100Km or 58miles/us gal or 70miles/imp.gal
     
    twalatimer likes this.
  9. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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  10. Sean McConky

    Sean McConky New Member

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    I take issue with CR over their slamming the C for being slow. I owned a 2008 Honda Fit and it was 0.1 seconds faster in 0-60 time, yet they loved the Fit for how much fun it was to drive.

    If you need it to move, it will move. Obviously, you aren't getting a Corvette.
     
    cknfts, PriusC-illa and nordiska like this.
  11. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    FWIW, in looking at CR's test results, in the 09 Fits they tested, they got 0-60 mph in 9.2 sec w/the manual and 10.7 sec w/the auto vs. the 11.3 sec they achieved w/the Prius c.

    I also recall the Fit doing well in terms of top speed in some publication's slalom test.
     
  12. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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    Not a lot of car to protect you in a severe accident
     
  13. Sean McConky

    Sean McConky New Member

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    The '09 was an updated engine from the '07-'08. However, CR loved the Fit right from the start, including the '07-'08.

    SPH-D710 ? 2
     
  14. novasquid

    novasquid Junior Member

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    - the front cup holders are too small for my coffee mug
    - armrest storage space is tiny
    - acceleration is painfully slow
    - highway mileage sucks
     
  15. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

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    99 total HP and I'll bet it's an tire noise echo chamber on the freeway.
     
  16. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    Yep. Also, OP might want to see the posts I linked to at Can't decide between a C or a regular Prius | PriusChat re: crashes of involving a much heavier vehicle vs. a lighter one.

    Curb weight of a Prius c is 2500 lbs per Toyota Prius c - 2013 Models: Prius c One, Prius c Two, Prius c Three, Prius c Four. Liftback is a 3042 lbs (Toyota Prius Hybrid - 2013 Models: Prius Two, Prius Three, Prius Four, Prius Five). In the links I mentioned, I listed some other typical curb weights and results of IIHS crashing unequal weight vehicles into each other.
     
  17. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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  18. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    Hmm, when I select used Fit on CR, I get the same 09 5MT again but then also see an 07 5MT. They got 9.9 seconds in the 0-60 mph on the latter.
     
  19. Nel

    Nel Member

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    Any annoying nuances to mention? The comment above about the cupholder being too small for our generally obese sized drinks is a good mention. I'll be bringing my primary water bottle and rearview mirror to the test drive.

    Any bicyclists here? I used to be able to fit my 58cm road bike in my Prius lift w/o disassembling ANYTHING from the bike. Can I still fit a decent sized bike into the C if I remove the front wheel?

    I didn't see any hidden storage spaces in the C like I was used to having in the Prius lift under the trunk bed. Is there hidden storage spaces to be aware of?

    Is there an AC outlet anywhere?
     
  20. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    ^^^
    Rear visibility thru the rear window is very poor in the Prius c due to the large rear head restraints. I noticed this when I took a test drive awhile ago. If you have one and have nobody riding in the back, I'd remove them and store them somewhere in the car, in the event you take on passengers.

    OTOH, don't know how it compares to the currently shipping liftbacks.